ANNOUNCEMENT OF US-JAPAN BRAIN RESEARCH COLLABORATIVE PROGRAM (BRCP)
- THE US COMPONENT
RELEASE DATE: September 15, 2003
NOTICE: NOT-NS-03-024
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
(http://www.ninds.nih.gov)
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
(http://www.nimh.nih.gov)
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
(http://www.nida.nih.gov)
National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)
(http://www.nidcd.nih.gov)
National Institutes of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR)
(http://www.nidcr.nih.gov)
APPLICATION RECEIPT DATE: October 27, 2003
BACKGROUND
The "Agreement Between the Government of the United States of America
and the Government of Japan on Cooperation in Research and Development
in Science and Technology" was signed by the President of the United
States of America and the Prime Minister of Japan on May 1, 1980 and
subsequently renewed and extended. Under the umbrella of this
Agreement, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
(NINDS), National Institutes of Health (NIH), USA and the National
Institute for Physiological Sciences, Okazaki National Research
Institutes, Japan, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for a
Brain Research Cooperative Program (BRCP) on November 29, 2000. The
focus of the BRCP is to support studies of molecular, cellular, and
integrative mechanisms of brain function. The BRCP supports the
following three designated activities: 1) research collaboration
between scientists in the U.S. and Japan; 2) exchange and training of
scientists; and 3) information exchange via meetings or workshops. The
funding policy of the program is that each country will support its own
scientists who participate in these activities. The Japanese component
of the BRCP has been active since 2001. Details of the Japanese
component of BRCP are available on the following website:
http://www.nips.ac.jp/jusnou/english/
The participating NIH Institutes are now accepting proposals from US
neuroscientists who plan to participate in BRCP. The Receipt date for
applications in response to this Notice is October 27, 2003.
SCOPE
The following activities will be supported by the BRCP:
1) Research collaboration (funding of this activity is not a research
award, but is intended to cover travel expenses and living costs of the
US scientists during their research visit to the Japanese
collaborators' laboratories (up to three months);
2) Scientific training for junior and senior US scientists in Japanese
laboratories (up to three months); and
3) Meetings or workshops held in the US, which are organized and
attended by collaborators and trainees under the BRCP.
MECHANISMS OF SUPPORT
1) US scientists without NIH funding, who plan to travel to Japan to
attend a BRCP meeting/workshop or receive training or to conduct
collaborative research on short-term (up to three months) visits can
apply for BRCP TRAVEL FUNDS from the participating NIH Institutes.
2) US scientists with research funding from the participating NIH
Institutes can apply for an ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPLEMENT to their existing
NIH grants from the participating NIH Institutes to support travel and
living costs in Japan for themselves or personnel supported by their
research grants to attend a BRCP meeting/workshop, to receive training,
or to conduct collaborative research on short-term (up to three months)
visits.
3) US organizers of small-scale meetings or workshops, which will be
held in the US and are directly related to research collaborations
under the US-Japan BRCP, can apply for BRCP MEETING FUNDS from the
participating NIH Institutes.
HOW TO APPLY
An original and five copies of the application should be sent by mail
or courier to the NINDS program staff contact listed at the end of this
notice. The application packet should include a PHS-398 face page
citing this NOTICE (line 2). The PI and the institutional official
must sign the face page.
A. For a US scientist who plans to travel to Japan to attend a BRCP
meeting or workshop the following information is required in the
application:
1) The US scientist's name, title, affiliation, phone number and email
address, Biographical Sketch, Current Support (citing participating NIH
institute if applicable).
2) The title, agenda, location, and dates of the meeting or workshop
3) A justification for attending the meeting or workshop
4) A proposed budget (not to exceed $3,000)
B. For a US scientist who plans to travel to Japan to receive training
the following information is required in the application:
1) The US scientist's name, title, affiliation, phone number and email
address, Biographical Sketch, Current Support (citing participating NIH
institute if applicable).
2) The Japanese host's name, title, affiliation, phone number, email
address, and Biographical Sketch
3) A description of the training plan (250-500 words)
4) A proposed period, from (date) to (date)
5) A proposed budget (not to exceed $10,000)
6) An invitation letter from the Japanese host
C. For a US scientist who plans to travel to Japan to conduct research
collaboration the following information is required in the application:
1) The US scientist's name, title, affiliation, phone number and email
address, Biographical Sketch, Current Support (citing participating NIH
institute if applicable).
2) The Japanese collaborator's name, title, affiliation, phone number,
email address, and Biographical Sketch
3) An abstract of the research plan (250-500 Words)
4) A proposed period: from (date) to (date)
5) A proposed budget (not to exceed $10,000)
6) An invitation letter from the Japanese collaborator
D. For a US scientist who has already participates in the BRCP and
plans to organize a BRCP meeting or workshop in the US the following
information is required in the application:
1) The US scientist's name, title, affiliation, phone number and email
address, Biographical Sketch, Current Support (citing participating NIH
institute if applicable).
2) The title of the meeting or workshop
3) The Japanese organizer's name, title, affiliation, address, phone
number, email address, and Biographical Sketch
4) The proposed location
5) The proposed period, from (date) to (date)
6) The content and purpose of the meeting or workshop including topics,
name of speakers, and tentative agenda
7) A proposed budget (not to exceed $25,000)
REVIEW PROCEDURE
Applications in response to this solicitation will be reviewed by the
Joint BRCP Steering-Review Committee, which includes scientists from
the US and Japan. Applicants will be notified of the decisions on
their proposals in December 2003.
SELECTION CRITERIA
The NIH anticipates funding one to two BRCP meetings or workshops in
the US, up to five US scientists for short-term (up to 3 months) visits
to Japan, and 10-15 US scientists to attend BRCP meetings or workshops
in Japan each year. The selection process will be competitive across
all applications and activities. Criteria for the selection of
successful applications include:
1) Scientific merit
2) Relevance to the mission and areas of research interests of the
participating NIH Institutes
Areas of research interests of the participating NIH Institutes:
o NINDS supports research on the healthy and diseased brain, spinal
cord, peripheral nerves, and mechanisms underlying neurological and
neuromuscular disorders.
o NIMH supports an integrated program of basic and clinical research in
biology, neuroscience, epidemiology, behavioral sciences as well as
services research aimed at developing and assessing new approaches to
diagnose, prevent and treat mental illness.
o NIDA supports basic, clinical, and applied research on the causes,
consequences, prevention and treatment of drug abuse and addiction.
o NIDCD encourages collaborative basic and clinical biomedical and bio-
behavioral research in the communication sciences of hearing, balance,
smell, taste, voice, speech and language.
o NIDCR supports research on molecular mechanisms regulating normal
craniofacial development; genetic and environmental influences on
abnormal craniofacial disorders; and the etiology and pathophysiology
of chronic pain in orofacial tissues with a focus on the
temporomandibular joint.
RECEIPT DATE: October 27, 2003 (future receipt dates will be announced
in the NIH Guide)
INQUIRIES AND SUBMISSION OF APPLICATIONS:
Dr. Yuan Liu
Program Director, NINDS, NIH
Staff Member, Joint BRCP Steering-Review Committee
6001 Executive Blvd. NSC Room 2110
Bethesda, MD 20892 (USPS)
Tel: 301-496-1917
Email: liuyuan2@ninds.nih.gov
OTHER RELATED FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES:
Other funding opportunities for activities related to US-Japan
collaboration on neuroscience (not part of this solicitation)
1) US postdoctoral fellows who plan to receive training in a Japanese
laboratory can apply for the RUTH L. KIRSCHSTEIN NATIONAL RESEARCH
SERVICE AWARDS FOR INDIVIDUAL POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWS (F32)
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-03-067.html
2) US independent scientists who plan to receive training or conduct
collaborative research in a Japanese laboratory for long-term (four
months to a year) can apply for the NIH NATIONAL RESEARCH SERVICE
AWARDS FOR SENIOR FELLOWS (F33)
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/pa-00-131.html
3) For large-scale meetings or workshops that have larger impact on the
neuroscience research community can apply for the NIH CONFERENCE GRANT
(R13). http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/not98-151.html